Why I shouldn’t have listened to what people said about having the Covid 19 vaccine - Jane Lovering

Anyway. The gist is – I’ve had my vaccination. Hooray, flags waving and all that, and very slick and well organised the whole Askham Bar organisation is.

This is no reflection on them. But I was so excited that I’d finally got a date that I told EVERYONE, from family and friends to customers in the Co Op.

I may even have flagged down one or two passing drivers and told them too. And do you know what they all told me? ‘Be prepared for after effects.’ A few gave me a run down of their flu-like symptoms that lasted for a couple of days after the jab. I heard all about achy, heavy legs, sore arms, headaches.

One friend vomited for 24 hours afterwards and I got a full run down of that, complete with actions. So. What did I do? I prepared, people, I prepared…

In case of flu type effects, I laid in my favourite, easy to prepare foodstuffs. You know, in case I was confined to the sofa, unable to cook.

Just some light snacks – or cheese puffs, as I like to call them, because I am particularly fond of cheese puffs.

I may have bought some dips too, and biscuits. For energy. I bought some extra cheese puffs, to tempt a jaded appetite, in case I was nauseous, and a few spare, just in case. I warned the dog that she might only be doing some very short walks, or, in the case of acute vomiting, only making it as far as the end of the garden. I may even have bought some cheese puffs for her too, to soften the blow.

I had my vaccination on Sunday lunchtime. Yes, right smack in the middle of Mothers’ Day, but there you go, I got to have a drive out to York and met up with my daughter for a nice stroll, so that was all right. I should have taken her some cheese puffs. Because I had not one single side effect of that vaccine. Not one. I waited, and flopped around on the sofa watching Netflix in a precautionary way before I gave up and made myself a proper dinner.

On Monday I cleaned the house, walked the dog and cooked, still expecting a headache to descend at any minute. It didn’t.

Nearly a week later, and I’ve still had no after effects. But I also still have a house full of easy-to-eat foods. Mostly cheese puffs. I do like cheese puffs. But I may have rather overdone the precautionary shopping, because I am currently using them to lag the immersion tank.